Protective headgear



Nov. 15, 1938. I J YM 2,136,678

PR OTECTIVE HEADGEAR Fil ed Nov. 7, 193a INVENTOR.

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR Application November 7, 1936, Serial No. 109,730

9 Claims.

This invention relates to head-gear and more particularly to protective head-gear for industrial use.

In order to reduce manufacturing costs it has been the standard practice heretofore to manufacture certain types of head-gear, such as protective or safety head-gear, in only a few, and preferably one, standard size, which was provided with adjustable head-engaging means to thereby adapt the head-gear to fit heads of various shapes and sizes. However, the use of adjustable means, as for example, adjustable head-band's, has occasioned difiiculty due to the fact that the adjusting means either did not provide a satisfactory fit after adjustment or resulted in an off-center mounting of the headgear upon the head. Again, adjustable headbands were apt to be relatively complicated and thereby expensive and were often difiicult and. time-consuming to adjust. Likewise, changes from the largest to the smallest head size often resulted in a wrinkled or unsatisfactory headband support for the head-gear.

It is the general object of my invention to overcome the foregoing and other difficulties of known adjustable size head-gears by the provision of a relatively simple and inexpensive, but sturdy and comfortable head-gear of a standard size having a quickly replaceable head-band of any desired particular size.

Another object of my invention is to provide a head-gear having an adjustable head-engaging cradle and a removable head-band whereby the head-gear can be adapted 'to comfortably fit heads of widely varying shapes and sizes, in a minimum of time and with the head-gear being properly. centered upon the head of the wearer.

The foregoing and other objects of my invention are achieved by the provision of a headgear comprising a crown of standard size having an adjustable cradle therein and a removable head-band of a particular size. The headband is removably held in the crown by suitable means, such as snap fasteners, which have one half of each fastener secured to the headband by tapes. extending substantially parallel thereto but with the portions of the tapes adjacent the fasteners being unsecured to the headband. The other halves of each fastener are secured to the crown and function to fasten the cradle thereto.

For a better understanding of the invention,

reference should be had to the accompanying the features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the headgear of Fig. 1 taken on line 11-11 thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line IIIIII of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a modification of the securing means of Fig. 3; and Fig.5 is another modfication of the securing means of Fig. 3.

While the principles of my invention are broadly applicable to the manufacture of any type of head-gear, such as hats, caps, sun, military, or police helmets, and the like, they are particularly applicable to the manufacture of safety or protective head-gear for industrial use, as in mines, and accordingly the invention has been so illustrated and will be so described.

Having particular reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the numeral l0 indicates generally a rigid crown of a protective head-gear which in the embodiment of the invention illustrated is formed with an integral brim I2. The crown and brim are stamped or molded, usually in a single or standard size, from any suitable material, such as metal, synthetic resin, hard rubber, or asphaltic composition with or without fabric reinforcement. In all events, the resulting crown and brim are adapted to resist blows or impacts and to protect the wearer of the hat. Secured to the crown I0 is an inverted cradle or hammock which is adapted to engage with the wearers head and support the hat. In the form of the invention shown, the cradle comprises a plurality, generally four, of tapes I4, which are secured at their ends to the crown l0 adjacent the brim l2. Preferably this is accomplished by the socket halves I 6 of snap fasteners which extend through the crown H] as shown in Fig. 2 and tightly secure the ends of the tapes M to the crown. If desired, the tape ends may be reinforced by an additional tape portion l8 stitched thereto. The upper ends of the tapes'l l are turned back upon themselves and stitched to form loops 20 which receive a draw string 22 whereby the size of the cradle can be adjusted to fit the head of the hat wearer.

Removably secured in the crown I0 is a hat band 26 of a particular size. The band 26 can be of any usual or known construction but preferably comprises a leather strip 28 bent around a flat strip 30 of fiber and secured thereto as by stitching 32. The hat band is removably mounted in the crown I0 and for this purpose tapes 34 are secured near their ends (see Fig. 3) to the band 26 as by stitching 36 adjacent each of the socket fasteners 16. Near the center and unseouredportion of each tape 34 a pin half 38 of a fastener member is secured which as shown in Fig. 2 is adapted to be received in a socket fastener portion IS. The tape 34, having a fiattened V-shape, as best seen in Fig. 3, and secured to the head-band 26 only at its ends, has an unsecured portion near the pin fastener member 38 so that, while the tape extends substantially parallel to the head-band 26, it is free to move toward and from the band with a limited movement whereby the tape and pin fastener 38 can be secured to a socket fastener Hi. It should be noted also that I preferably secure the pin fastener 38 to each tape 34 at a point vertically offset from the point where the stitching 36 fastens the ends of the flattened V-shaped tapes to the head-band 26. This arrangement of parts not only allows movement of the downwardly extending flap-like portions of the tapes toward or from the head-band without wrinkling the head-band but also secures the crown ID to the head-band so that the weight of the crown is borne directly to the head-band substantially in the fiat plane of the tapes.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a modified form of tape for securing the head-band to the crown. More specifically, a short rectangular strip of tape 34a is provided which is secured near its top to a head-band 26a by stitching 36a. The tape 34a is provided with a pin half of a fastener 38a similar to fastener 38 whereby the tape and headband can be quickly secured to the socket fastener I6 carried by the crown l0.

Another modification of the means for releasably securing the head-band to the crown is shown in Fig. 5 wherein a tape 34b of relatively sharp V-shape is employed. The tape 34b is secured to a head-band 261) by stitching 361), as illustrated, and pin halves of fasteners 38b fastened to the ends and bottom of V-tape 341) complete the assembly.

The function and operation of the securing means of Figs. 4 and 5 are similar to that of the securing means shown in Fig. 3 except that the means of Fig. 5 require additional socket fasteners on the crown ID, as will be understood.

I have found that by the construction described I am able to mold or stamp a head-gear having a crown and associated portions of a single size and that head-bands of any particular size can be quickly fastened in the crown so as to adapt the head-gear to use by a person having a head of a particular head-band size. In practice, the store or company selling or using my improved headgear provides the head-gears in a single standard size and head-bands of a wide variety of sizes. The purchaser of the head-gear then buys or obtains the crown of standard size and a headband of his particular head size and quickly snaps it into the crown. The cradle is adjusted by means of the draw string 22 so as to properly engage with the head of the wearer of the headgear.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the objects of my invention have been achieved by the provision of an improved head-gear, particularly of the safety-or protective type, having a standard crown size and a quickly removable head-band whereby any particular size headband can be employed. The means for mounting the head-band in the crown are inexpensive, rugged, and long-wearing. They are readily operated by the ordinary individual to secure the head-band in the head-gear in an unwrinkled and centered relation regardless of whether the particular head-band is the smallest or largest size.

The principles of the invention can be employed with caps, hats, sun helmets, and like head-gear of various kinds and characteristics and are particularly adapted for use with protective or safety head-gear.

While, in accordance with the patent statutes, one embodiment of my invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby but is defined in the appended claims.

I claim: I I

1. A-protective head-gear comprising a rigid blow resistant crown of a standard size, a brim formed integral with the crown, a head cradle in the crown and adapted to engage the head of the wearer of the head-gear, means comprising socket halves of snap fasteners securing the ends of the cradle to the crown, means for adjusting the size of the cradle, a head-band of a particular head size, means removably securing the head-band to the crown, said last-named means including tapes secured adjacent their ends to the band, a pin half of a snap fastener secured to each tape adjacent its center and vertically below the points at which the tapes are secured to the band, said pin half of a snap'fastener being removably received in a socket snap fastener.

2. A protective head-gear comprising a rigid blow resistant crown, a head cradle in the crown and adapted to engage the head of the wearer of the head-gear, means comprising socket halves of snap fasteners securing the cradle to the crown, means for adjusting the size of the cradle and the distance between the crown and the unsecured portion of the cradle, a head-band, means removably securing the head-band to the crown, said last-named means including flattened V- shaped tapes secured adjacent their ends to the band, a pin half of a snap fastener secured to each tape adjacent the bottom of the V and removably receivedin a socket snap fastener.

3. A protective head-gear comprising a rigid blow resistant crown, a head-band, means removably securing the head-band to the crown, said last-named means including flattened V-shaped tapes secured adjacent their ends to the band, means secured to each tape adjacent the bottom of the Y and removably secured to the crown.

4. A protective head-gear comprising a rigid blow resistant crown, a head cradle in the crown and adapted to engage the head of the wearer of the head-gear, means comprising snap fasteners securing the cradle to the crown, means for adjusting the size of the cradle, a head-band,

and means removably securing the head-band to the crown and engaging with the snap fasteners.

5. A head-gear comprising a standard size crown, a head cradle in the crown and adapted to engage the head of the wearer of the headgear, means comprising halves of snap fasteners securing the cradle to the crown, means for adjusting the size of the cradle, a head-band of a particular head size, and mating halves of snap fasteners securing the head-band to the crown and engaging with the first mentioned fastener halves.

6. A head-gear comprising a crown of a standard size, a head-band of a particular size removably secured therein by snap fasteners, one half of each fastener being secured to the crown, the other half of each fastener being secured to the head-band by tapes extending substantially parallel to the head-band but secured thereto along a substantially horizontal line at the upper edge of the tape.

7. A protective head-gear comprising a rigid blow resistant crown, a brim formed integral with the crown, an inverted head cradle in the crown and adapted to engage the head of the wearer of the head-gear, means comprising female halves of snap fasteners securing the cradle to the crown, means for adjusting the size of the cradle and. the distance between the crown and the unsecured portion of the cradle, a head-band, means removably securing the head-band to the crown, said last-named means including loops secured adjacent their ends to the band, a male half of a snap fastener secured to each loop adjacent its center and removably received in a female snap fastener.

8. A head-gear comprising a crown of standard size, a head-band of a particular size, tapes secured to the band at circumferentially spaced points and each having a downwardly extending flap portion free for movement to and from the band and the crown, quickly removable means for securing the flap portions of the tapes to the crown, and an adjustable cradle secured to the crown by the means securing the fiapportions of the tapes to the crown.

9. A head-gear comprising a crown of standard size, a head-band of a particular size, snap fasteners removably securing the head-band to the crown, V-shaped tapes securing the snap fasteners to the head-band, said tapes being secured by the upper legs of the V to the head-band and carrying the snap fasteners at the bottom of the V, the tapes extending substantially parallel to the head-band but with the portions of the tapes carrying the fasteners being spaced from the head-band.

' JOSEPH B. DYM. 

